So you want to set up at a comic book convention.... 2 2

[Wall-Crawler]

What's the best way or any advice on how to "package" sets to sell at a show?

[dem1138]

How did you sleep at night knowing that your inventory was in your car in the parking lot? Aren't you ever afraid that someone is going to steal your car in the middle of the night? Or break in and steal your inventory?

 

wake up at the crack of dawn and head to the convention center to get in line to unload...

 

[1Cool]

How did you sleep at night knowing that your inventory was in your car in the parking lot? Aren't you ever afraid that someone is going to steal your car in the middle of the night? Or break in and steal your inventory?

 

wake up at the crack of dawn and head to the convention center to get in line to unload...

 

 

I bet he wishes someone would steal the van since his insurance payoff would be fantastic.

[sagii]

Great thread GAtor! One request though: Maybe next year we can get one of your stops in 'You Tube' form? I miss the CGC Boardies posts post convention (Charlotte i believe)pick up recaps.

[G.A.tor]

How did you sleep at night knowing that your inventory was in your car in the parking lot? Aren't you ever afraid that someone is going to steal your car in the middle of the night? Or break in and steal your inventory?

 

wake up at the crack of dawn and head to the convention center to get in line to unload...

 

 

All we leave in the van are $1 book in long boxes under 800 pounds of racks. I unload all cgc boxes into hotel room with me (thumbs u

[G.A.tor]

What's the best way or any advice on how to "package" sets to sell at a show?

we sell sets in our store but not at cons

[G.A.tor]

How did you sleep at night knowing that your inventory was in your car in the parking lot? Aren't you ever afraid that someone is going to steal your car in the middle of the night? Or break in and steal your inventory?

 

wake up at the crack of dawn and head to the convention center to get in line to unload...

 

 

I bet he wishes someone would steal the van since his insurance payoff would be fantastic.

no way. Love the comics too much.

[G.A.tor]

Great thread GAtor! One request though: Maybe next year we can get one of your stops in 'You Tube' form? I miss the CGC Boardies posts post convention (Charlotte i believe)pick up recaps.

too advanced for me but maybe someone can

[gyro-1]

Fantastic thread thanks

[revat]

 

Wow, that is spectacular.

How much does it cost a stand like this one at a major con (SDCC, NY, C2S2)?

Thanks

at sdcc this would run $3700 I believe. Approx $3300 at NYcc. About $2200 at ww Chicago

 

I don't know why, but I thought it would be more expensive.

 

that's booth costs alone...

 

it costs us about $10,000 to do SDCC and NYCC...about $6,000 to do Chicago, about about $3000 to do shows we can drive too... it's not cheap

 

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

Also, I want to mention some other costs that I'm not sure have been accounted for, for those who are actually considering doing something like this:

 

- Costs of bags and boards and time to bag, board, and sort, and price each comic sold. This will cost your time, or that of employees.

- Cost of those boxes and all those displays and signage, which can be used over and over, but have a cost nonetheless.

-Cost of resorting the boxes after a show.

- Sales tax, where applicable, income tax where applicable, and actual tax for the business.

- Insurance - for your stuff when you travel, for you and your employees

- Bookkeeping costs or time for additional business.

- Opportunity cost of forgoing other money-making opportunities and/or time with your family or friends.

- Credit card fees

 

Some of these may not apply depending on the specifics of your situation, and some might be costs you incur anyways, if you do this a lot, it would make sense to incorporate these costs into your total budget models.

 

 

[1Cool]

How did you sleep at night knowing that your inventory was in your car in the parking lot? Aren't you ever afraid that someone is going to steal your car in the middle of the night? Or break in and steal your inventory?

 

wake up at the crack of dawn and head to the convention center to get in line to unload...

 

 

I bet he wishes someone would steal the van since his insurance payoff would be fantastic.

no way. Love the comics too much.

 

If the insurance paid you 100% of what you hoped to sell the books for would you would still be sad they were gone?

Edited April 23, 2015 by 1Cool

[wombat]

Maybe if they used chuck's prices it would be worth it.

[RCheli]

Terrific thread. As a dealer 1/20th as cool/significant as GAtor, this seems overwhelming to me.

 

For me, the loading/unloading is the worst. When I'm done loading the van, I think to myself, "One down, three to go." Then unloading at the venue, it's "Two down, two to go."

 

Actually doing the set-up and selling is fun. The heavy lifting is what gets to me.

 

I try to do 8 times my expenses, but mostly because I think I'm getting a higher margin on my books. I sell a lot of priced stuff in the long-box and $1 books, which has a significantly greater profit than the wall books. (For those, I'll have to pay $100 to make $20 profit, whereas with the stuff in the long boxes, I'm buying them for 10-30 cents each, and sell for between $2-$10.

 

Still, I'd love to get to this level, although I know I never will.

[thirdgreenham]

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

I think you forgot to ask him these two questions:

 

When would the best time to rob you be? On the road after the show or immediately after Saturday's close?

 

Do you have a lot of money on you when you go pee pee?

[Iceman399]

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

I think you forgot to ask him these two questions:

 

When would the best time to rob you be? On the road after the show or immediately after Saturday's close?

 

Do you have a lot of money on you when you go pee pee?

 

[G.A.tor]

 

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

Also, I want to mention some other costs that I'm not sure have been accounted for, for those who are actually considering doing something like this:

 

- Costs of bags and boards and time to bag, board, and sort, and price each comic sold. This will cost your time, or that of employees.

- Cost of those boxes and all those displays and signage, which can be used over and over, but have a cost nonetheless.

-Cost of resorting the boxes after a show.

- Sales tax, where applicable, income tax where applicable, and actual tax for the business.

- Insurance - for your stuff when you travel, for you and your employees

- Bookkeeping costs or time for additional business.

- Opportunity cost of forgoing other money-making opportunities and/or time with your family or friends.

- Credit card fees

 

Some of these may not apply depending on the specifics of your situation, and some might be costs you incur anyways, if you do this a lot, it would make sense to incorporate these costs into your total budget models.

 

 

very few "big " buys are in cash...most are checks from known entities...CC or paypal, deals made with future wire transfer, and, on a rare occasion, cash...

 

we did 500K one NYCC a few years ago and maybe 20K was cash...

 

I would be happy to do a separate thread on cost analysis sometime, but that was not the intent of this thread

 

 

 

[revat]

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

I think you forgot to ask him these two questions:

 

When would the best time to rob you be? On the road after the show or immediately after Saturday's close?

 

Do you have a lot of money on you when you go pee pee?

 

I can't be the only one who has thought about this, so I thought I'd point it out, and hopefully matters can be addressed BEFORE something happens (or already have been addressed). $1M in comics plus $50,000 cash makes a tasty target. State lines and planes make security hard to 'carry'.

 

I wouldn't walk around in florida with $200 in cash, let alone $50K.

 

 

On unrelated note, I've just come up with the plotline for the nerdiest heist movie in history. Pretty sure it would star Seth Rogen and James Franco. And hopefully Danny Mcbride.

 

[G.A.tor]

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

I think you forgot to ask him these two questions:

 

When would the best time to rob you be? On the road after the show or immediately after Saturday's close?

 

Do you have a lot of money on you when you go pee pee?

 

its funny, I actually forgot my weapon last week for megacon...had to borrow a 9mm from my sister in law... I'm always packing at a con, whether you know it or not...

[G.A.tor]

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

I think you forgot to ask him these two questions:

 

When would the best time to rob you be? On the road after the show or immediately after Saturday's close?

 

Do you have a lot of money on you when you go pee pee?

 

I can't be the only one who has thought about this, so I thought I'd point it out, and hopefully matters can be addressed BEFORE something happens (or already have been addressed). $1M in comics plus $50,000 cash makes a tasty target. State lines and planes make security hard to 'carry'.

 

I wouldn't walk around in florida with $200 in cash, let alone $50K.

 

 

On unrelated note, I've just come up with the plotline for the nerdiest heist movie in history. Pretty sure it would star Seth Rogen and James Franco. And hopefully Danny Mcbride.

it is actually very easy to carry....just check your destination state's concealed laws and make sure your concealed license is valid there... and if not, carry anyway!

[revat]

 

Quick math. If your costs are $10,000 for SDCC, and you shoot for costs to be 5% of total revenues, that means you hope to do $200,000 worth of sales at SDCC, which I would guess would net you at least $50K in cash by the end of the weekend but probably closer to $80-100K. BUT you don't do cash deposits everyday, or even until you get back because you have a local credit union. I guess there's safes in most hotel rooms, but maybe it would make sense to get a national bank account with minimum features? Rather than carry $50-80K back to florida?

 

Or do you have your own secret security measures that don't need to be talked about openly? Insurance?

 

 

Also, I want to mention some other costs that I'm not sure have been accounted for, for those who are actually considering doing something like this:

 

- Costs of bags and boards and time to bag, board, and sort, and price each comic sold. This will cost your time, or that of employees.

- Cost of those boxes and all those displays and signage, which can be used over and over, but have a cost nonetheless.

-Cost of resorting the boxes after a show.

- Sales tax, where applicable, income tax where applicable, and actual tax for the business.

- Insurance - for your stuff when you travel, for you and your employees

- Bookkeeping costs or time for additional business.

- Opportunity cost of forgoing other money-making opportunities and/or time with your family or friends.

- Credit card fees

 

Some of these may not apply depending on the specifics of your situation, and some might be costs you incur anyways, if you do this a lot, it would make sense to incorporate these costs into your total budget models.

 

 

very few "big " buys are in cash...most are checks from known entities...CC or paypal, deals made with future wire transfer, and, on a rare occasion, cash...

 

we did 500K one NYCC a few years ago and maybe 20K was cash...

 

I would be happy to do a separate thread on cost analysis sometime, but that was not the intent of this thread

 

 

 

I guess that makes sense. thanks.